Indicating-gage.



P.- G. MAOGREGOR. INDIGATING GAGE.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.3, 1912. I

Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

WITNESSES:

A TTORNEV STATES PATENT o IoE.

PETER GRILHAM'MAOGBEGOR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR '.[0 PETER L.WILBUR,

, OF NEW YORK, N. Y. v

INDICATING-GAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 3, 1912. Serial No. 675,149.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER a citizen of the United States, and residentof the'city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Indicating-Gages, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to a gaging device tied or refilled.

One of the important uses of the device is in connection with a gasolenetank of an automobile. These tanks are of various shapes, some beingrectangular in form others in the form of a cylinder laid on its sideand others oval in shape. It is obvious that with tanks of these variousshapes the level of the liquid will change at varying rates and theobject of this invention is to provide a device which will accuratelyindicate by a suitable dial or indicator, the amount of liquid thereinat any time.

Some of the preferred constructions have been illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and will be described more fully hereinafter andthe novel features defined inthe accompanying claims.

In the drawing like parts in the several views have been given the samereference numerals. Figure l is a sectional elevation of an indicatinggage embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of one form of i anindicating dial.- Fig. 3 is a planview of another form of. indicatindial. 4 is a detail view in elevation, s owing one form. of a portion ofthe operating mechanlsm.

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view, taken on the line 5--5 ofFi'g. 1. Fig.6 is a sectional plan View, taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

"Referring to Fig. 1' the cylindrical body 'portion of the gage is shownat 1. At 2 is shown a float, which is in -the form of a '1 closedcylindrical chamber and which is of a size to permit it to be freelymovedv longitudinally in the body portion, 1.

Guide members 3 and 4 are secured at their upper and lowerends in the.body por- V tion land extend'through openings in the G. MAoGnEoon,

float 2, the float 2 being provided with flanges at its upper andlower'ends in which Patented Aug. 19,1913.

these openings are placed. These openings are of suflicient size to.permit the float to move freely upon the guides 3 and 4 but prevent thesame from rotating.

A spirally formed-member 5, preferably formed by twisting a flatstrip ofmetal into,

a spiral orm, is mounted in the body portion 1 provided with suitablebearings at its upper and lower ends so as to be freely ro-' tatable.member 5 is mounted a pinion 6 by means of which the rotary movement iscommune.

At the upper end'of the spiral cated through suitable reducin gears tothe indicator or pointer mounted a ove the dial.

The float 2 is provided atone end with a rectangular slot, through whichthe spiral member passes. This slot is of such a size as to slide freelyover the s iral member 5 as the float rises and falls wlth the varyinglevel ofthe liquid. As the float is held against rotating by the guides3 and'4, it will be seen that this longitudinal move- -ment of the float2 will cause a rotary movement of the spiral member 5 which will becommunicated to the indicator at the 'upper end of the device. I

Openings 7 and 7 areprovided at'the lower end of the cylindricalbodyportion 1 to allow the liquid to enter to the interior thereof andopenings 8 and 8 are provided at the upper end thereof 'to provide forthe escape of the air as the liquid enters.

When the gage is used in connection with a rectangular tank'the spiralmember 5 will be of a uniform pitch for its e tire length and the dialof the indicator wi 1 be divided into uniform divisions, as shown inFig. 2. When the gage is used in connection with a round or oval tank itbecomesnecessary to provide for an unequal rise of the/float in order toindicate the amount of liquid. If the spiral member 5 is of a uniformpitch this may be doneby varyingthe divisions upon the dial, as shown inFig. 3. It is more desirable, however, in order to facilitate thereading of the dial to use divisions of equal length and this may bedone with the present invention by constructing the spiral member asshown at 5, in Fig. 4, in which the pitch of the spiral is varied,decreasing from the lower end to the center and increasing fromthe-center to the upper end. The rate of variation of the pitch of thespiral member 5 will, of course, be determined by the shape of the tankin which the gage is to be used and will vary inversely as thehorizontal cross sectional area of the containing tank. A pinion 6'carried at the upper end of the spiral member 5 operates the indicatingpointer in the same manner as that described and shown in Fig. 1.

It. will thus be seen that an indicating gage is provided which may beused in connection with tanks of any shape and by construeting thespiral actuating member with suitable variations in the pitch of itsspirals the amount of liquid will be indicated on a dial having uniformdivisions which are easily read at a glance.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and manyapparently widely different embodiments of my invention designed withoutdeparting from the scope of the appended claims, I intend that allmatter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shall be interpreted as illustrative merelyof an operativeembodiment of my invention and not. in a limiting sense.

What I claim is:

1. In an indicating gage adapted to be used in a reservoir of variablehorizontal cross sectional area, containing a liquid, in combination, adial, a movable indicator adapted to indicate on said dial the amount ofliquid in said reservoir, a float adapted to be moved as the amount ofliquid'in said reservoin is changed, and means operatively connectingsaid float and indicator for transmitting the movement of the former tothe latter and adapted to cause said indicator to move over equal spaceson said dial for equal changes in the amount of liquid in saidreservoir, said means being adapted to compensate for the variablehorizontal cross sectional areas corresponding to variouslevels of theliquid.

3. In an indicating gage, in combination,

a dial, an indicator, a rotatable spiral member having a varying pitchvarying inversely as the horizontal cross sectional area of thecontaining tank decreasing from one end and operatively connected tosaid indicator, and a float slidably mounted upon said spiral member andadapted to rotate the same when moved longitudinally with relationthereto.

4. In an indicating gage, in combination,

'a dial, an indicator, a rotatable spiral member having a varying pitchvarying inversely as the horizontal cross sectional area of thecontaining tank decreasing from one end to the center. and operativelyconnected to said indicator, and a float slidably mounted upon saidspiral member and adapted to ro tate the same when moved longitudinallywith relation thereto.

5. In an indicating gage, in combination, a dial, an indicator, arotatable spiral memher having a varying pitch varying inversely as thehorizontal cross sectional area of the containing tank decreasing fromone end to the center and increasing from the center to the opposite endand operatively connected to said indicator, and a float slidablymounted upon said spiral member and adapted to rotate. the same whenmoved longitudinally with relation thereto.

'Signed at New York city, in the county and State of New York, this 15thday of January, 1912;

PETER GRAHAM MAGGREGOR. lVit-nesses PETER L. VVILBUR,

LEWIS J. DOObI'l'ILE.

